I'm looking for a used Ford with maybe a deisel rather than a 460. How do the powerstrokes hold up to towing and hauling a camper. Is 200,000 mi. a possibility before a major overhaul, or just a wish? I don't need a Ford/Dodge war, just some serious Ford owner experiences. Thanks

Dalmar, thats what I did 3 years ago when some kid ran a stop sign and totaled my '91 F250 ext. cab 4x4 with a 460..... I was tired of 6-8 mpg while towing my 21' super vee.
Anyway I found a '94 PSD extcab 4x4 with 75,000 miles on it....even matched the color of my Alumaweld.
So now I haul a '95 9'6" Elkhorn camper and tow my 21' supervee and get 12-13mpg..or 18mpg empty..double what my injected 460 would do... Living in Selah I have to pull White pass or Satus pass every trip,
and the PSD dose a great job...plenty of power.

From what I've read and talkin to people who own them 200,000 to 300,000 miles is common on this engine

I've got a '96 'Stroke (F-250 x-cab) that I haul an 11.5 ft. camper with, usually while towing my 19' Northwest Jet. I've got 105,000 miles on it and have never had any troubles with it. If you buy an automatic, make sure to use the overdrive off button when hauling.
The warranty is 100,000 on them, so 200k shouldn't be much of a problem, the mech's I know say 300k is easy for them if you take care of them, and get the injectors/vales cleaned aroud every 100k.

Wow, small world.... two guys postin from the big town of Selah...back to back...how you doin Jack
... gettin any fish?

I have a 95 stroke' 2WD with a manual tranny. I will never go back to a gas motor. With my 9 1/2 Lance and towing my sled it's still like nuthin' is back there!!! The only drawback is when the bolt ons start to die they are expensive, $325 for a water pump, $550 for a starter, $175 for a vacuum pump, and the glow plug relayed died and ate the glow plugs too, that was about 4 or 5 bills with the labor. I have 146,000 on mine and all that stuff happened in the last 50K. There is a web site (Ford-Diesel.com) that has a discussion board like this and every time I read it I want to spend more money!! Can't go wrong with the diesel as far as towing stuff, I really don't think it matters if you go Ford or Dodge. Chevy has a new one out that I have not heard anything about one way or the other. Oh ya, I get 18 without the camper and boat and 14-15 with depending on hard much foot I have in it.
Good luck and tight lines, Jeff

On my third PSD now, no problems with any of them. I hall a 20' sled around and can't even tell its there. Also chipped my current one. These things will surprise you with how much extra power is avaiable should you choose to use it.

Get a psd!!!!! I run 37" tires and haul a 22' sled no problem @ all! i put the banks power pack system on with the intercooler, man what a difference. Truck will pull any hill with a load and not drop below 75 mph! One word of advise is to keep regular on changing your fuel filters, every 15000. Those injectors and o rings are expensive! Only use ford filters the others are cheap!
If you ever need work on your stroke The Power Shop is the only place to go.....Chuck Arnold does a quality Job @ a fair price

I own a 86 ford f250 4x4 diesel super cab not a power stroke but has the 429 cubic inch international diesel. Had it for 10 years when I purchased it had 101,000 miles on it now 237,000 miles. No major problems replaced glow plugs,radiator, thermostat, voltage regulator, brakes twice, two sets of tires, and shocks. change the oil every 3,000 miles and filters once a year. Good wash and wax looks and runs like new. It is down on power over the new power strokes but it allways gets me their and back. I have a 11 foot bigfoot camper and 22 foot formula vee I aint goin 70 over the pass but 45 mph and it will hold steady. Now on flat land it will get right back to the speed limit no problem and still have plenty left. Goes like a bat out of hell down hill loaded. When if I ever get a new truck it will be a ford. But I would get a f350 crewcab 4x4 diesel. The reason why is the extra payload over the f250 and then crew cab because no full grown person in their right mind would want to sit in the back seat of my super cab just not enough room.

I agree with what everyone else is saying. I owned a 89 ford x-cab 4x4 with the old 7.3 disel. I liked it a lot. When I just bougt a new pickup almost a year ago I went with the 97 crew cab 4x4 w/ powerstroke. Night and day difference. I love the power and zip that I now have. I have an 11-1/2' elkhorn camper and it is no problem at all. Like everybody 18mpg empty 13-14 loaded.

I must like 'em, I have had up to 5 at one time (personal & business trucks). My business partner and I each have a '02 PSD 4x4. EXCELLENT trucks. My F350 hauls my 10.5 Lance and 18 Fishrite with no problems, 70+MPH, while gettin 13-14 MPG. My wife has a '99 that has no problems (yet, I hate braggin' about something, then that DAMN Murphy's Law shows up), and she pulls a loaded 3 horse trailer. My '96 was a great truck, 165000 miles and never a oil leak ANYWHERE!!! You must watch the ball joints and glow-plug relay on the 95-97 PSd's. At about a 100000 miles the ball joints will probably get loose ($250 ea), and stay away from the Ford automatic hubs (4x4), they have plastic guts and they just can't take the torque of a full size truck. They're all good, but I would look for a 99 and up, they were built for the PSD.

Definitely go with the diesel over the gas motor... you'll be happy you did...

Make sure you take care of it, change the oil every 3,000 miles (at least use Delo 15-40, if not fancier Amsoil or Mobil Delvac synthetic) and like someone above said, change the fuel filters every year or 15,000 miles...

I've had my Chevy 6.2L diesel for 8 years and 320,000 miles, and it just now needs motor work... got to love that 20mpg in a conversion van!!

-N.